MONROE — For Anika Einbeck and Alyssa Knauf, Senior Night at SLICE was a moment they had anticipated.
“It was sure different than from other seasons, but I was definitely glad to have one,” said Einbeck, a Monroe senior. “It would have been really disappointing without one, and I’m really glad our coach and our parents could come together and give one to us.”
The two all-state Fury U19 hockey players from Monroe and Albany joined teammates Lexi Cooper (Clinton), Kylie Evans (Beloit Memorial), Samantha Wells (Beloit Turner) and Gabrielle Traver (Beloit Memorial) for pregame acknowledgements, then went out on the ice to play rival Sun Prairie.
“It’s kind of sad knowing that this is one of the last times I’m going to be with all these girls. The end is kind of coming along. We’ve had a good run so far,” Knauf said.
While the Fury jumped in front 4-0, it was Sun Prairie that came roaring back, scoring six unanswered goals to snatch the victory from the home bench.
“We couldn’t really pull together in time to finish them off. We’ve already beat them twice (this season), and it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row,” Knauf said.
The Fury got out to a quick start when freshman forward Emma Kilgora of Milton scored at 12:08. Amery Stuckey of Memorial and Olivia Combs of Janesville Parker combined to put the puck in front of the net, and Kilgora sent a shot off the pads of Sun Prairie goalie Izzy Hahn. The puck then slipped through the five hole and slowly crossed the red line into the net.
Just 79 seconds later Kilgora lit the lamp again to make it 2-0 after snagging the puck at the blue line and sending a quick wrister past the Hahn.
Combs made it 3-0 at the 6:00 mark of the first period, going top shelf at a tight angle from the wing. The Fury went into the first intermission feeling good with a 3-0 advantage.
“We were really clicking. But then we got that lead in our heads and a false sense of confidence,” Knauf said.
Orangeville junior Anna Malone made it 4-0 Fury with a breakaway goal at 13:19.
After that, however, Sun Prairie found its spark. The Cougars scored three goals in the second period to bring the score to within one at 4-3. Fury keeper Leah Wangerin of Janesville Craig was chased from her post, giving way to Memorial’s Olivia Cronin.
“We knew they were going to come back out firing. Me personally, I wasn’t having the best game, so I had to keep pushing the others to do their best,” Einbeck said. “We held on a little bit, but we kind of lost our wheels at the end.”
Sun Prairie scored three more times in the third period. The equalizer came at 11:12 in the third, and the Cougars took a 5-4 lead with 6:21 left on a power play goal. With 21 seconds left, Carley O’Neil capped the scoring by Sun Prairie with an empty netter.
The next day, the Fury were back on the ice at Hartland Arrowhead and lost 5-2. Knauf had an unassisted goal, and assisted Einbeck on the squad’s other goal.
The Fury dropped out of the WIAA to start the season, as not all of the 10 schools in the coop were allowing winter sports. With just a few weeks left before the WIAA playoffs, the club team may still jump back into the WIAA in hopes of making a run at the state tournament for the second straight year.
“For us to pull together and make a club team, and potentially go back to WIAA, it’s quite meaningful, especially your senior year,” Einbeck said.
When the season ends, neither Knauf nor Einbeck is very interested in continuing their playing career at the next level. Knauf plans to attend the University of North Dakota and study Commercial Aviation. She’s currently working to earn her pilot’s license.
“It’s kind of bittersweet — I know my journey is ending here for hockey. But I’m ready to move on to the next chapter,” Knauf said. The 100-point career scorer won a conference championship in her first three years of high school. She’s played hockey for 13 years and has been a member of Team Wisconsin for the last five.
Einbeck, who has played hockey since she was three and has been Knauf’s teammate through Monroe Youth Hockey Association and Team Wisconsin, is also planning to focus on her studies next fall at one of three select schools: Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), Duluth, Minnesota, and Milwaukee School of Engineering.
“I’m really just looking at my future and going into industrial engineering. If I got the chance to play club hockey, I’m sure I’d pick it up,” she said.
